Temitope Ajayi, an aide to President Bola Tinubu, has sparked widespread controversy after suggesting that a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who criticized the president deserves the death penalty. Ajayi made the statement on his official Facebook page in response to a TikTok video by Ushie Uguamaye, a serving corps member in Lagos State, who described Tinubu as a “terrible president.”

In the video, Uguamaye expressed frustration over the rising cost of living in Nigeria, stating, “I am coming from a supermarket where I went to get foodstuff, and everything has gone up again. It’s just like every single week, prices keep increasing. I want to know, what is the government doing about this increase?” She concluded by calling Tinubu “such a terrible president.”

Ajayi, however, argued that while ordinary citizens are free to criticize public officials, corps members are held to a higher standard under the NYSC code. He stated, “If she is not a corper, she can say whatever she fancies like people do per second. Citizens can abuse a living day out of their President or any public official. It is normal. But a corper violated her oath and code of conduct here. That is capital punishment under NYSC.”

He further emphasized that Uguamaye should face severe consequences for her remarks, stating, “You can’t abuse the country you are serving as a corper under any guise and the symbol of sovereign authority, which is the president. She should be punished to the fullest extent, not just warned.” Ajayi suggested that the corps member should be executed by hanging or firing squad for her criticism.

The comments have ignited a heated debate online, with many Nigerians condemning Ajayi’s call for extreme punishment over what they see as a legitimate expression of frustration over the country’s economic challenges. Others have questioned the appropriateness of such a harsh response to criticism, particularly from a youth serving the nation under the NYSC scheme.

As of now, there has been no official response from the NYSC or the presidency regarding Ajayi’s statement.